The politics of Breastfeeding

[FrozenNorth]

Has anyone read this book? just getting started on it and would love to discuss it with anyone who's familiar with it. Enjoying it hugely already though the bits about Nestle's antics in deprived countries are already sending my blood pressure through the roof

I was wanting to read it, but not buy it

Was toying with the idea, but this has made me firmly decide to. Will check out the library once I've finished my current book.

Oh, it is FABULOUS.

A little like ruby, it motivated me to bf number 2 having failed with number 1. It also persuaded me to forgive myself for not managing first time.

It made me very angry and very sad.

The health benefits, etc, weren't 'real' enough for me (personally) to make me determined to bf, but the issues in this book did!

I am currently re-reading it, usually while bfing ds2!

I like to leave it lying around when MIL visits...

That's interesting nicky. I wasn't overly persuaded by the health benefits either (but been afraid to tell anyone else).

Yes I have read it, loved it. It made me very angry at the formula companies who manipulated the market and used cynical practices to undermine bfing.
BUT it made me even more angry at the Doctors who happily took their money and turned a blind eye while babies died (most particularly when formula was first brought in to use). What happened to Aesculapius's Oath - "First do no harm"

At the end of the day big businesses are there to make money and they will use any mean possible. But the medical professional had a lot to answer as they were the ones who medicalised the birth process, underminded the traditional MW and undermined women's faith in their bodies to feed their babies

Nowadays, things are improved in with better knowledge for doctors and MWs, and more help with bfing. But it still doesn't go far enough, as many threads on here have sadly shown.

I've just lent my copy to my friend who is expecting her first. She is very keen to bf and I really hope to be able to support her.

I must get mine back! I hope she has read it

I only leant it to her after a conversation about Matchmakers :o

stealth. Matchmakers ...is this a part of the book i'm yet to get to?

Matchmakers are Nestle, as are After Eights, as are rolos and smarties. I loved them all but although I have no willpower when trying to lose weight I don't seem to ahve that problem when avoiding nestle (apart from buying some before I realised), and then somehow even though I knew rolos and smarties were nestle, it not clicking that bakery rolo and smartie cookies would also be nestle

ah. Personaly i can live a life without any of those. Thank god nestle aren't the worlds sole source of chips though.

If they ever plan to take over cadbury's I will be protesting strongly

It is one of the most powerful books I have ever read. I strongly believe that is should be compulsory reading for HVs and MWs.

This thread finally convinced me to go buy the book instead of failing to find it in any library/friend's book collection. And it's out of stock at Amazon :( The MN effect?

I came across this Irish website which I think has really useful info on health benefits of BF.

www.thebreastway.com/index.php/breastfeeding-the-natural-choice/why-not-formula

haha i've just bought it from amazon off the back of someone talking about it on mumsnet!

i've said this on the other thread too but i've just read that sri lanka have a 75% bf rate at 2 years old. there is no advertising and the whole medical profession is behind breastfeeding! why can't this happen here?

I finally read it last month after seeing it mentioned a lot on here. Agree that it's profoundly depressing, but also fascinating. I need to read it again though, as have memory like a sieve (albeit a sieve which retains nothing. so a hoop).

Just come back to this thread and it's great that other people have got loads out of the book too. Am about to start re-reading it in order to try and take in the stuff I've almost certainly missed (I'm with you kveta on the sieve memory!) I love the bit that compares a woman's experience starting bf in a hospital to a man being scrutinised and critiqued by a panel of 'experts' the first time he has sex ... :)

I am 3/4 way through - love it, but yes, very sad.

Oh, an excellent fantastic book. It was never mentioned at uni on my midwifery course and I really, truly wish it had been. Only through mn that I even heard about it. Go FrozenNorth- we need it read by hcp's...

rubykippers what was about the picture of the lady bottle feeding her daughter that made you nearly cry?